26a

Brought to you by Penguin. WINNER OF THE ORANGE AWARD FOR NEW WRITERS. Discover the critically acclaimed debut from the Women's Prize-shortlisted author of Ordinary People.

Identical twins, Georgia and Bessi Hunter, live in the loft of 26 Waifer Avenue. It is a place of beanbags, nectarines and secrets, and visitors must always knock before entering. Down below there is not such harmony. Their Nigerian mother puts cayenne pepper on her Yorkshire pudding and has mysterious ways of dealing with homesickness; their father angrily roams the streets of London, prey to the demons of his Derbyshire upbringing.

Forced to create their own identities, the Hunter children build a separate universe. Their elder sister Bel discovers sex, high heels and organic hairdressing whilst the twins prepare for a flapjack empire. It is when the reality comes knocking that the fantasies of childhood start to give way. How will Georgia and Bessi cope in a world of separateness and solitude, and which of them will be stronger?

'A remarkable first novel...vibrant...exotic' Sunday Times

'Hugely assured and very moving' Mark Haddon

'Diana Evans's fiction is emotionally intelligent, dark, funny, moving. The sheer energy in her novels is enthralling. A brilliant craftswoman, a master of the form, she makes the reader ask important questions of themselves and makes them laugh at the same time' Jackie Kay, British Council and National Centre for Writing's International Showcase on Britain's 10 best BAME writers

Winner of the British Book Award for deciBel Writer of the Year. Shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award. Shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award. Shortlisted for the Commonwealth Best First Book Award. Shortlisted for the Times/Southbank Show Breakthrough Award. Recipient of the Betty Trask Award. Longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

Diana Evans 2005 (P) Penguin Audio 2025